Yes. And his decisions will be instructive for many trying to figure what to do with large tech firms, and with their own careers.
About the latter. He dropped out of my business school after winning the competitions of both premier business consulting firms'; clearly very, very smart. And yet all that brain wattage couldn't come to terms with his ego wanting to be even smarter -- in other words, Bill Gates. He needed to prove that.
And yet, what in 20th-century business history shows that this has ever been possible? Gates managed to be both a founder and able to grow the business really, really well. That's rare enough. To also have anybody, much less another member of the founding team, then succeed after simply doesn't happen. There are a bunch of reason, I think, but it doesn't matter: it simply can't happen.
I wouldn't be surprised if Ballmer in his twilight year doesn't admit, ""I should have left a couple years after Bill did. I could have started any number of start ups to become successful in my Second Act. Instead, I chickened out when faced with the opportunity for true change.""
That's a lesson for anybody who finds him-herself facing a major change after a good run of success.